Hatbox



A. DROUTMAN April 5, 19490 HAT BOX Filed March 10, 1947 INVENTOQ.

M 5 u w m N Q O w almm Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HATBOX a partnership Application March 10, 1947, Serial No. 733,656

This invention relates to a new and improved hat box and has as its general object the provision of a hat box designed and constructed in sucha manner that it may be assembled extremely rapidly and with a minimum use of stitching, adhesive or the like.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a hat box having a stiff inner wall for imparting rigidity to the box, which stiff inner wall is provided with a reinforcing element such as a ring or wire secured along the upper edge thereof, and an outer flexible wall fitting closely about said inner wall and being provided with an upper fastening element securable about the reinforcing element of the stiif inner wall to form a rigid, efiicient hat box. body.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hat box of the character indicated which will be durable, attractive in appearance and which may be fabricated easily at low cost.

The foregoing objects together with additional objects and advantages will be readily apparent in the course of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in section and partly in perspective of a hat box embodying the features of the invention, the cover therefor being shown in open position and partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View partly broken away to show the internal structure of the hat box and the relative disposition of the stiff inner Wall, the flexible outer wall and their respective reinforcing elements; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view illustrating the flexible outer wall of the hat box and its reinforcing element partially bent back from the stifi inner wall and its corresponding reinforcing element.

While the hat box body may be of any desired shape, the drawings illustrate a hat box H) which is cylindrical or drum-shaped. The hat box body IB- comprises a stiff inner wall II which imparts shape and rigidity to the box and about which is closely fitted an outer flexible wall l2. Inner wall ll may be made of any suitable material such as cardboard, fiberboard or the like and is provided on its exposed surface with a fabric lining l3. Said lining l3 preferably extends over the top edge of inner wall H and is stitched thereto to form a loop or hem M for the reception of a reinforcing element in the form of a continuous ring or wire l5. The lower end of 1 Claim. (Cl. 15052) lining l3 may be secured to inner wall H in any desired manner, as by stitching or adhesive. I Flexible outer wall l2 may be of any suitable soft, flexible material such as leather, fabric, synthetic plastic or the like shaped to conform closely about inner wall H and having a bottom wall (not shown) suitably secured around its lower edge. The upper edge of outer wall I2 is turned over inwardly and downwardly and stitched to form a loop or hem 16 within which is received a flexible fastening element ll of wire or the like. Fastening element I! extends peripherally about flexible outer wall I2 within the hem l6 and is of sufi'lcient length to provide free protruding ends Ila, at the joining seam (not shown) of said outer wall. The top edge of outer wall l2, or hem I6, is located slightly above the top edge of inner wall H, or hem I 4, so that fastening element II will slightly overlie reinforcing element l5 of inner wall I I.

In assembling the hat box body, the stiff inner wall I I is first placed in position within outer wall l2 and with said outer wall in close conformation about said inner wall, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. When this has been accomplished the free ends Ha of fastening element I! are drawn toward each other, tensioned slightly and twisted or pinched together as at I'lb (Fig. 1) so that inner wall II will be tightly secured in position by reason of the force exerted on reinforcing element 15 by fastening element I1.

A cover 20 may be swingably mounted on the hat box body in by means of an external hinge flap 2i secured at its respective ends to the cover 26 and to outer wall l2. If desired this may be supplemented by an internal flexible hinge flap 22 depending from cover 20 and secured by stitching to a supporting tab 23 fixed to inner wall ll. Flexible hinge flap 22 is preferably of such length as to support cover 20 in open position at an upward inclination to the hat box body.

Means are, provided for removably securing cover 20 in closed position on hat box body 10'. This means may take the form of the slide fastener illustrated in the drawing or any other convenient arrangement. A slide fastener tape 24a is mounted about the edge of cover 20 for cooperation with a corresponding slide fastener tape 24b mounted on outer wall [2 adjacent the top edge thereof. When it is desired to close cover 20, a slide fastener (not shown) is pulled about the peripheral upper edge of hat box body II) to unite the fastener tapes and close the box as indicated at 24 (Fig. 2).

The particular shape of the hat box body may vary from the cylindrical, drum-shaped form illustrated in the drawing. Obviously, therefore, the shape of the stiff inner wall 1 I and its reinforcing element l5 may also vary depending upon the desired shape of the hat box body.

Since certain additional modifications may be made in the hat box of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing de- 10 scription and shown in the accompanying drawing be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

A hat box body of the character described comprising a stiff inner wall and a flexible outer wall in close conformation about said inner wall, a reinforcing element secured along the upper edge of said inner wall, a flexible fastening band secured along the upper edge of said outer wall, said outer wall being higher than said inner wall, the top of said outer wall and its contained fastening band overlying and being snugly contiguous with the reinforcing element of said inner wall, said outer wall being secured to said inner wall by said fastening element.

ABRAHAM DROUTMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED S'I'NIES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,692,115 Goldstein Nov. 20, 1928 1,734,587 Lowe Nov. 5, 1929 2,079,476 Wolff May 4, 1937 2,282,408 Lowe May 12, 1942 2,282,409 Lowe May 12, 1942 2,324,495 Deming July 20, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Dec. 8, 1932 

